Since She Went Away(41)

“How do you know she isn’t Celia?” Jenna asked.

Naomi paused. “Given the condition of the remains and other identifying factors at the scene, we can tell this body hasn’t been there that long. Certainly not as long as Celia’s been gone.”

“But what if Celia didn’t die right away?” Jenna asked, holding out hope as long as she could.

“It’s not Celia,” Naomi said. “It’s Holly Crenshaw. The coroner will make an official identification and do an autopsy, but we can tell. It’s Holly.”

Jenna’s hands shook as she pulled a chair out from the table. She sank into it, her weight dropping down like a sandbag.

Naomi said, “We don’t know a cause of death yet. We don’t know many other details. Some idiot talked when he shouldn’t have talked and now it’s all over Twitter and the rest of the news. I had to scramble to get in touch with her husband and parents before they found out from some disc jockey’s tweets.”

Jenna stared at the random scattering of items on the table. Napkins, a coffee cup, the newspaper, and some old full-color ads. The objects seemed foreign to her, artifacts from another world, one where women didn’t disappear and end up dead.

“But she was murdered, right?” Jenna asked.

“I’m not going to jump to any conclusions, but we’re certainly treating it as a crime scene.”

“And you’re searching the area. . . . What if whoever did this, what if Celia is there?”

“We’re one step ahead of you,” Naomi said. “I’ve done this job before, unfortunately. We’re searching the area, of course. But, Jenna, don’t get your hopes up for anything.”

Jenna’s elbow rested on the table, and she cupped her head in her hand. It all seemed like a bad dream. Months of her life seemed like the most horrible dream imaginable.

And then she thought of Holly Crenshaw’s family again. They were suffering something unspeakable. The death of their child. The death of a spouse. A sister, a cousin, a friend. Would they ever know the truth about Celia? Would that day ever come for them?

“I have to get back to it,” Naomi said. “I’ll keep you in the loop as best I can, but it’s going to be a long day of sorting things out. And in the end, this case may have no connection whatsoever to Celia’s.”

“I know. You told me that.”

“Take care, Jenna.”

“Benny Ludlow,” Jenna said. “He’s a suspect.”

“Everyone is this early. We’ll talk soon. Okay?”

“Naomi?”

“Yes?”

“Will you tell Holly’s parents how sorry I am for them?”

“Sure I will.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR


In the parking lot, someone called her name.

Along the horizon a red band stretched as the sun disappeared, and birds, black dots against the sky, flew past in a giant mass. A chill approached, encroaching on the town as the night came on. Jenna pulled her coat tighter, thinking she’d only imagined hearing her name.

But the voice said it again. It was faint, a soft, childlike voice. She looked around. Most of the cars were gone, the other employees and patients clearing out. Late Friday afternoon, just before five. People had plans, or else they just wanted to get home to their families, order pizza, and watch mindless TV. All of those things sounded appealing to Jenna. She’d survived the day, working as hard as she could, trying to keep Holly Crenshaw’s death out of her mind. Nothing in her life, even raising a child, had ever required such deep wells of patience.

Jenna carried a canister of pepper spray in her right hand, and her grip on it tightened as she saw the figure approaching. But as the young woman emerged from the dark, Jenna decided she didn’t intend to cause anyone harm. The girl looked scared, her eyes wide and pleading in the darkness.

“Tabitha?”

The girl wore the same old coat, the same scuffed shoes. She carried something in her hand, something awkward and blocky. Jenna saw it was a book, a thick paperback, its cover worn and its pages dog-eared. Had she seen it before?

“Mrs. Barton?” she said. “I wanted to ask you a favor.”

“Is Jared with you?” Jenna asked, although it seemed obvious he wasn’t. She’d texted her son before she left the office, letting him know she was on her way. He wrote back quickly, telling her he was home.

“No.” She hesitated, looking around the lot as though someone might be spying on them. She acted as if they were two agents making a dead drop under watchful eyes. “He must have told you we broke up.”

“No, he didn’t.” Jenna felt a little heartsick for her son, and she understood why he’d been in such an unpleasant mood. “But I could tell something was wrong.”

“I know he’s probably upset.”

“Yeah. He seems like he is. Now I know why.” She studied the girl, remembering Jared’s question about the fatherly kiss. Had that been part of the breakup? “What are you doing here? Is there a problem?”

Tabitha held the book out in front of her. “Would you give this to Jared? I borrowed it from him, and I know it’s one of his favorites.” She hesitated, emotion flashing across her eyes. “It’s hard for me to see him now, but I knew you worked here. I was out doing some other things, but I have to get home.” She looked around at the darkening sky. “Would you mind?”